Search results for: mixed effect logistic regression model
29461 Instructional Leadership and Competency in Capacity Development among Principals: A Mediation with Self Efficacy in Moderate Performing Schools
Authors: Mohd Ibrahim K. Azeez, Mohammed Sani Ibrahim, Rosemawati Mustapa, Maisarah A. Malik, Chandrakala Varatharajoo, Wee Akina Sia Seng Lee
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The leadership of the principals is known to be a key indicator in development and school performance. Therefore, this study was undertaken to assess the extent of the influence of instructional leadership in the field of supervision and curriculum focus on capacity development competence in the field of communication and teamwork. In addition, this study also examines self-efficacy mediator school leadership in the field of self-improvement and self-management of school principals. The study involved 383 guest teachers from 55 secondary schools for leadership in schools. Data was analyzed using SEM aid program AMOS 21. The final result shows partial mediation model was the best model fit to obtain the best goodness of fit of (X2/df = 4.663, CFI = 0.922, GFI = 0.778, TLI = 0914, NFI = 0.903, and RMSEA = 0.098) compared to the direct effect model of the findings (X2/df = 5.319, CFI = 0.908, GFI = 0755, TLI = 0.899, NFI = 0.889, and RMSEA = 0.106). While the findings of the fully mediator model with a self-efficacy refers principals as a mediator as follows (X2/df = 4.838, CFI = 0918, GFI = 0772, TLI = 0.910, NFI = 0.899, and RMSEA = 0.100). Therefore, it can be concluded that the findings clearly demonstrate self-efficacy variables principals become a mediator in the relationship between instructional leadership capacity and competency development.Keywords: instructional leadership, capacity development, self-efficacy, competency
Procedia PDF Downloads 72629460 Research on the Optimization of Satellite Mission Scheduling
Authors: Pin-Ling Yin, Dung-Ying Lin
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Satellites play an important role in our daily lives, from monitoring the Earth's environment and providing real-time disaster imagery to predicting extreme weather events. As technology advances and demands increase, the tasks undertaken by satellites have become increasingly complex, with more stringent resource management requirements. A common challenge in satellite mission scheduling is the limited availability of resources, including onboard memory, ground station accessibility, and satellite power. In this context, efficiently scheduling and managing the increasingly complex satellite missions under constrained resources has become a critical issue that needs to be addressed. The core of Satellite Onboard Activity Planning (SOAP) lies in optimizing the scheduling of the received tasks, arranging them on a timeline to form an executable onboard mission plan. This study aims to develop an optimization model that considers the various constraints involved in satellite mission scheduling, such as the non-overlapping execution periods for certain types of tasks, the requirement that tasks must fall within the contact range of specified types of ground stations during their execution, onboard memory capacity limits, and the collaborative constraints between different types of tasks. Specifically, this research constructs a mixed-integer programming mathematical model and solves it with a commercial optimization package. Simultaneously, as the problem size increases, the problem becomes more difficult to solve. Therefore, in this study, a heuristic algorithm has been developed to address the challenges of using commercial optimization package as the scale increases. The goal is to effectively plan satellite missions, maximizing the total number of executable tasks while considering task priorities and ensuring that tasks can be completed as early as possible without violating feasibility constraints. To verify the feasibility and effectiveness of the algorithm, test instances of various sizes were generated, and the results were validated through feedback from on-site users and compared against solutions obtained from a commercial optimization package. Numerical results show that the algorithm performs well under various scenarios, consistently meeting user requirements. The satellite mission scheduling algorithm proposed in this study can be flexibly extended to different types of satellite mission demands, achieving optimal resource allocation and enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of satellite mission execution.Keywords: mixed-integer programming, meta-heuristics, optimization, resource management, satellite mission scheduling
Procedia PDF Downloads 3229459 The Effect of Material Properties and Volumetric Changes in Phase Transformation to the Final Residual Stress of Welding Process
Authors: Djarot B. Darmadi
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The wider growing Finite Element Method (FEM) application is caused by its benefits of cost saving and environment friendly. Also, by using FEM a deep understanding of certain phenomenon can be achieved. This paper observed the role of material properties and volumetric change when Solid State Phase Transformation (SSPT) takes place in residual stress formation due to a welding process of ferritic steels through coupled Thermo-Metallurgy-Mechanical (TMM) analysis. The correctness of FEM residual stress prediction was validated by experiment. From parametric study of the FEM model, it can be concluded that the material properties change tend to over-predicts residual stress in the weld center whilst volumetric change tend to underestimates it. The best final result is the compromise of both by incorporates them in the model which has a better result compared to a model without SSPT.Keywords: residual stress, ferritic steels, SSPT, coupled-TMM
Procedia PDF Downloads 27129458 Analysis of Biomarkers Intractable Epileptogenic Brain Networks with Independent Component Analysis and Deep Learning Algorithms: A Comprehensive Framework for Scalable Seizure Prediction with Unimodal Neuroimaging Data in Pediatric Patients
Authors: Bliss Singhal
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Epilepsy is a prevalent neurological disorder affecting approximately 50 million individuals worldwide and 1.2 million Americans. There exist millions of pediatric patients with intractable epilepsy, a condition in which seizures fail to come under control. The occurrence of seizures can result in physical injury, disorientation, unconsciousness, and additional symptoms that could impede children's ability to participate in everyday tasks. Predicting seizures can help parents and healthcare providers take precautions, prevent risky situations, and mentally prepare children to minimize anxiety and nervousness associated with the uncertainty of a seizure. This research proposes a comprehensive framework to predict seizures in pediatric patients by evaluating machine learning algorithms on unimodal neuroimaging data consisting of electroencephalogram signals. The bandpass filtering and independent component analysis proved to be effective in reducing the noise and artifacts from the dataset. Various machine learning algorithms’ performance is evaluated on important metrics such as accuracy, precision, specificity, sensitivity, F1 score and MCC. The results show that the deep learning algorithms are more successful in predicting seizures than logistic Regression, and k nearest neighbors. The recurrent neural network (RNN) gave the highest precision and F1 Score, long short-term memory (LSTM) outperformed RNN in accuracy and convolutional neural network (CNN) resulted in the highest Specificity. This research has significant implications for healthcare providers in proactively managing seizure occurrence in pediatric patients, potentially transforming clinical practices, and improving pediatric care.Keywords: intractable epilepsy, seizure, deep learning, prediction, electroencephalogram channels
Procedia PDF Downloads 8729457 Investigation of Biogas from Slaughterhouse and Dairy Farm Waste
Authors: Saadelnour Abdueljabbar Adam
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Wastes from slaughterhouses in most towns in Sudan are often poorly managed and sometimes discharged into adjoining streams due to poor implementation of standards, thus causing environmental and public health hazards and also there is a large amount of manure from dairy farms. This paper presents a solution of organic waste from cow dairy farms and slaughterhouse. We present the findings of experimental investigation of biogas production using cow manure, blood and rumen content were mixed at three proportions :72.3%, 61%, 39% manure, 6%, 8.5%, 22% blood; and 21.7%, 30.5%, 39% rumen content in volume for bio-digester 1,2,3 respectively. This paper analyses the quantitative and qualitative composition of biogas: gas content, and the concentration of methane. The highest biogas output 0.116L/g dry matter from bio-digester1 together with a high-quality biogas of 85% methane Was from the mixture of cow manure with blood and rumen content were mixed at 72.3%manure, 6%blood and 21.7%rumen content which is useful for combustion and energy production. While bio-digester 2 and 3 gave 0.012L/g dry matter and 0.013L/g dry matter respectively with the weak concentration of methane (50%).Keywords: anaerobic digestion, bio-digester, blood, cow manure, rumen content
Procedia PDF Downloads 56929456 The Study of Elementary School Teacher’s Behavior of Using E-books by UTAUT Model
Authors: Tzong-Shing Cheng, Chen Pei Chen, Shu-Wei Chen
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The purpose of this research is to apply Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) model to investigate the factors that influence elementary school teacher’s behavior of using e-books. Based on the literature review, a questionnaire was modified and used to test the elementary school teachers in Changhua. A total of 420 questionnaires were administered and 364 of them were returned, including 328 valid and 36 invalid questionnaires. The effective response rate is 78%. The methods of data analysis include descriptive statistics, factor analysis, Pearson’s correlation coefficient, one way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and simple regression analysis. The results show that: 1. There were significant difference in the Elementary school teachers’ “Performance Expectancy”, “Effort Expectancy”, “Social Influence”, and “Facilitating Conditions” depending on their different “Demographic Variables”. 2. “Performance Expectancy” and “Behavioral Intention to Use” are positively correlated. 3. “Effort Expectancy” and “Behavioral Intention to Use” are positively correlated. 4. There was no significant relationship between “Social Influence” and “Behavioral Intention to Use”. 5. There was significant relationship between “Facilitating Conditions” and “Use Behavior”.Keywords: e-books, UTAUT, elementary school teacher, behavioral intention to use
Procedia PDF Downloads 61629455 Fault Prognostic and Prediction Based on the Importance Degree of Test Point
Authors: Junfeng Yan, Wenkui Hou
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Prognostics and Health Management (PHM) is a technology to monitor the equipment status and predict impending faults. It is used to predict the potential fault and provide fault information and track trends of system degradation by capturing characteristics signals. So how to detect characteristics signals is very important. The select of test point plays a very important role in detecting characteristics signal. Traditionally, we use dependency model to select the test point containing the most detecting information. But, facing the large complicated system, the dependency model is not built so easily sometimes and the greater trouble is how to calculate the matrix. Rely on this premise, the paper provide a highly effective method to select test point without dependency model. Because signal flow model is a diagnosis model based on failure mode, which focuses on system’s failure mode and the dependency relationship between the test points and faults. In the signal flow model, a fault information can flow from the beginning to the end. According to the signal flow model, we can find out location and structure information of every test point and module. We break the signal flow model up into serial and parallel parts to obtain the final relationship function between the system’s testability or prediction metrics and test points. Further, through the partial derivatives operation, we can obtain every test point’s importance degree in determining the testability metrics, such as undetected rate, false alarm rate, untrusted rate. This contributes to installing the test point according to the real requirement and also provides a solid foundation for the Prognostics and Health Management. According to the real effect of the practical engineering application, the method is very efficient.Keywords: false alarm rate, importance degree, signal flow model, undetected rate, untrusted rate
Procedia PDF Downloads 38129454 The Relation between Proactive Coping and Well-Being: An Example of Middle-Aged and Older Learners from Taiwan
Authors: Ya-Hui Lee, Ching-Yi Lu, Hui-Chuan Wei
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The purpose of this research was to explore the relation between proactive coping and well-being of middle-aged adults. We conducted survey research that with t-test, one way ANOVA, Pearson correlation and stepwise multiple regression to analyze. This research drew on a sample of 395 participants from the senior learning centers of Taiwan. The results provided the following findings: 1.The participants from different residence areas associated significant difference with proactive coping, but not with well-being. 2. The participants’ perceived of financial level associated significant difference with both proactive coping and well-being. 3. There was significant difference between participants’ income and well-being. 4. The proactive coping was positively correlated with well-being. 5. From stepwise multiple regression analysis showed that two dimensions of proactive coping had positive predictability. Finally, these results of this study can be provided as references for designing older adult educational programs in Taiwan.Keywords: middle-age and older adults, learners, proactive coping, well-being
Procedia PDF Downloads 45929453 3D CFD Model of Hydrodynamics in Lowland Dam Reservoir in Poland
Authors: Aleksandra Zieminska-Stolarska, Ireneusz Zbicinski
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Introduction: The objective of the present work was to develop and validate a 3D CFD numerical model for simulating flow through 17 kilometers long dam reservoir of a complex bathymetry. In contrast to flowing waters, dam reservoirs were not emphasized in the early years of water quality modeling, as this issue has never been the major focus of urban development. Starting in the 1970s, however, it was recognized that natural and man-made lakes are equal, if not more important than estuaries and rivers from a recreational standpoint. The Sulejow Reservoir (Central Poland) was selected as the study area as representative of many lowland dam reservoirs and due availability of a large database of the ecological, hydrological and morphological parameters of the lake. Method: 3D, 2-phase and 1-phase CFD models were analysed to determine hydrodynamics in the Sulejow Reservoir. Development of 3D, 2-phase CFD model of flow requires a construction of mesh with millions of elements and overcome serious convergence problems. As 1-phase CFD model of flow in relation to 2-phase CFD model excludes from the simulations the dynamics of waves only, which should not change significantly water flow pattern for the case of lowland, dam reservoirs. In 1-phase CFD model, the phases (water-air) are separated by a plate which allows calculations of one phase (water) flow only. As the wind affects velocity of flow, to take into account the effect of the wind on hydrodynamics in 1-phase CFD model, the plate must move with speed and direction equal to the speed and direction of the upper water layer. To determine the velocity at which the plate will move on the water surface and interacts with the underlying layers of water and apply this value in 1-phase CFD model, the 2D, 2-phase model was elaborated. Result: Model was verified on the basis of the extensive flow measurements (StreamPro ADCP, USA). Excellent agreement (an average error less than 10%) between computed and measured velocity profiles was found. As a result of work, the following main conclusions can be presented: •The results indicate that the flow field in the Sulejow Reservoir is transient in nature, with swirl flows in the lower part of the lake. Recirculating zones, with the size of even half kilometer, may increase water retention time in this region •The results of simulations confirm the pronounced effect of the wind on the development of the water circulation zones in the reservoir which might affect the accumulation of nutrients in the epilimnion layer and result e.g. in the algae bloom. Conclusion: The resulting model is accurate and the methodology develop in the frame of this work can be applied to all types of storage reservoir configurations, characteristics, and hydrodynamics conditions. Large recirculating zones in the lake which increase water retention time and might affect the accumulation of nutrients were detected. Accurate CFD model of hydrodynamics in large water body could help in the development of forecast of water quality, especially in terms of eutrophication and water management of the big water bodies.Keywords: CFD, mathematical modelling, dam reservoirs, hydrodynamics
Procedia PDF Downloads 40229452 Revealing the Risks of Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Authors: Oyuntsetseg Sandag, Lkhagvadorj Khosbayar, Naidansuren Tsendeekhuu, Densenbal Dansran, Bandi Solongo
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Introduction: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common disorder affecting at least 2% to 4% of the adult population. It is estimated that nearly 80% of men and 93% of women with moderate to severe sleep apnea are undiagnosed. A number of screening questionnaires and clinical screening models have been developed to help identify patients with OSA, also it’s indeed to clinical practice. Purpose of study: Determine dependence of obstructive sleep apnea between for severe risk and risk factor. Material and Methods: A cross-sectional study included 114 patients presenting from theCentral state 3th hospital and Central state 1th hospital. Patients who had obstructive sleep apnea (OSA)selected in this study. Standard StopBang questionnaire was obtained from all patients.According to the patients’ response to the StopBang questionnaire was divided into low risk, intermediate risk, and high risk.Descriptive statistics were presented mean ± standard deviation (SD). Each questionnaire was compared on the likelihood ratio for a positive result, the likelihood ratio for a negative test result of regression. Statistical analyses were performed utilizing SPSS 16. Results: 114 patients were obtained (mean age 48 ± 16, male 57)that divided to low risk 54 (47.4%), intermediate risk 33 (28.9%), high risk 27 (23.7%). Result of risk factor showed significantly increasing that mean age (38 ± 13vs. 54 ± 14 vs. 59 ± 10, p<0.05), blood pressure (115 ± 18vs. 133 ± 19vs. 142 ± 21, p<0.05), BMI(24 IQR 22; 26 vs. 24 IQR 22; 29 vs. 28 IQR 25; 34, p<0.001), neck circumference (35 ± 3.4 vs. 38 ± 4.7 vs. 41 ± 4.4, p<0.05)were increased. Results from multiple logistic regressions showed that age is significantly independently factor for OSA (odds ratio 1.07, 95% CI 1.02-1.23, p<0.01). Predictive value of age was significantly higher factor for OSA (AUC=0.833, 95% CI 0.758-0.909, p<0.001). Our study showing that risk of OSA is beginning 47 years old (sensitivity 78.3%, specifity74.1%). Conclusions: According to most of all patients’ response had intermediate risk and high risk. Also, age, blood pressure, neck circumference and BMI were increased such as risk factor was increased for OSA. Especially age is independently factor and highest significance for OSA. Patients’ age one year is increased likelihood risk factor 1.1 times is increased.Keywords: obstructive sleep apnea, Stop-Bang, BMI (Body Mass Index), blood pressure
Procedia PDF Downloads 31129451 An Integrated Approach of Islamic Social Financing for Achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGS) Through Crowdfunding: A Model for Sharing Economy for Community Development in Bangladesh
Authors: Md. Abu Yousuf
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Islamic social financing (ISF) refers to the fair distribution of wealth and financial dealings and prevents economic exploitation at all levels. ISF instruments include Islamic institutions Zakat (obligatory charity), Sadaqah (voluntary charity) and Waqf (endowment) based on philanthropy such and Qard-al Hasan (beautiful loan), micro takaful (insurance) and social investments through Sukuk (bonds) based on cooperation. ISF contributes to socio-economic development, end poverty, protects environmental sustainability, promotes education, equality, social justice and above all, establishes social well-being since the birth of Islam. ISF tools are instrumental towards achieving sustainable development goals (SDGs) set by United Nations (UN). The present study will explore the scope of ISF for community development in Bangladesh and examine the challenges in implementing ISF tools and will provide the most practical model of ISF. The study will adopt a mixed-method (MM) design in the process of data collection and analysis. The researcher will consider all issues related to ethics, reliability, validity and feasibility while conducting the study.Keywords: Islamic social financing, sustainable development goals, poverty eradication, zakat, waqf, sadaqah, Islamic microfinance
Procedia PDF Downloads 19129450 An Inverse Heat Transfer Algorithm for Predicting the Thermal Properties of Tumors during Cryosurgery
Authors: Mohamed Hafid, Marcel Lacroix
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This study aimed at developing an inverse heat transfer approach for predicting the time-varying freezing front and the temperature distribution of tumors during cryosurgery. Using a temperature probe pressed against the layer of tumor, the inverse approach is able to predict simultaneously the metabolic heat generation and the blood perfusion rate of the tumor. Once these parameters are predicted, the temperature-field and time-varying freezing fronts are determined with the direct model. The direct model rests on one-dimensional Pennes bioheat equation. The phase change problem is handled with the enthalpy method. The Levenberg-Marquardt Method (LMM) combined to the Broyden Method (BM) is used to solve the inverse model. The effect (a) of the thermal properties of the diseased tissues; (b) of the initial guesses for the unknown thermal properties; (c) of the data capture frequency; and (d) of the noise on the recorded temperatures is examined. It is shown that the proposed inverse approach remains accurate for all the cases investigated.Keywords: cryosurgery, inverse heat transfer, Levenberg-Marquardt method, thermal properties, Pennes model, enthalpy method
Procedia PDF Downloads 20329449 Modeling a Closed Loop Supply Chain with Continuous Price Decrease and Dynamic Deterministic Demand
Authors: H. R. Kamali, A. Sadegheih, M. A. Vahdat-Zad, H. Khademi-Zare
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In this paper, a single product, multi-echelon, multi-period closed loop supply chain is surveyed, including a variety of costs, time conditions, and capacities, to plan and determine the values and time of the components procurement, production, distribution, recycling and disposal specially for high-tech products that undergo a decreasing production cost and sale price over time. For this purpose, the mathematic model of the problem that is a kind of mixed integer linear programming is presented, and it is finally proved that the problem belongs to the category of NP-hard problems.Keywords: closed loop supply chain, continuous price decrease, NP-hard, planning
Procedia PDF Downloads 36629448 Use of Information and Communication Technologies in Enhancing Health Care Delivery for Human Immunodeficiency Virus Patients in Bamenda Health District
Authors: Abanda Wilfred Chick
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Background: According to World Health Organization (WHO), the role of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in health sectors of developing nations has been demonstrated to have had a great improvement of fifty percent reduction in mortality and or twenty-five-fifty percent increase in productivity. The objective of this study was to assess the use of information and communication technologies in enhancing health care delivery for Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) patients in Bamenda Health District. Methods: This was a descriptive-analytical cross-sectional study in which 388 participants were consecutively selected amongst health personnel and HIV patients from public and private health institutions involved in Human Immunodeficiency Virus management. Data on socio-demographic variables, the use of information and communication technologies tools, and associated challenges were collected using structured questionnaires. Descriptive statistics with a ninety-five percent confidence interval were used to summarize findings, while Cramer’s V test, logistic regression, and Chi-square test were used to measure the association between variables, Epi info version7.2, MS Excel, and SPSS version 25.0 were utilized for data entry and statistical analysis respectively. Results: Of the participants, one-quarter were health personnel, and three-quarters were HIV patients. For both groups of participants, there was a significant relationship between the use of ICT and demographic information such as level of education, marital status, and age (p<0.05). For the impediments to using ICT tools, a greater proportion identified the high cost of airtime or internet bundles, followed by an average proportion that indicated inadequate training on ICT tools; for health personnel, the majority said inadequate training on ICT tools/applications and half said unavailability of electricity. Conclusion: Not up to half of the HIV patients effectively make use of ICT tools/applications to receive health care. Of health personnel, three quarters use ICTs, and only one quarter effectively use mobile phones and one-third of computers, respectively, to render care to HIV patients.Keywords: ICT tools, HIV patients, health personnel, health care delivery
Procedia PDF Downloads 8629447 Business Survival During Economic Crises: A Comparison Between Family and Non-family Firms
Authors: A. Hayrapetyan, A. Simon, P. Marques, G. Renart
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Business survival is a question of greatest interest for any economy. Firm characteristics that can explain or predict performance and, ultimately, business survival become of the greatest significance, as the sustainable longevity of any business can mean health for the future of the country. Family Firms (FFs) are one of the most ubiquitous forms of business worldwide, as more than half of European firms (60%) are considered as family firms. Therefore, the inherent characteristics of FFs are one of the possible explanatory variables for firm survival because FFs have strategic goals that differentiate them from other types of businesses. Although there is literature on the performance of FFs across generations, there are fewer studies on the factors that impact the survival of family and non-family FFs, as there is a lack of data on failed firms. To address this gap, this paper explores the differential survival of family firms versus non-family firms with a representative sample of companies of the region of Catalonia (Northeast of Spain) that were adhoc classified as family or nonfamily firms, as well as classified as failed or surviving, since no census data for family firms or for failed firms is available in Spain. By using the COX regression model on a representative sample of 629 family and non-family firms, this study investigates to what extent financial ratios, such as Liquidity, Solvency Rate can impact business survival, taking into consideration the socioemotional side of family firms, as well as revealing the differences between family and non-family firms. The findings show that the liquidity rate is significant for non-family firm survival, whereas not for family firms. On the other hand, FFs can benefit while having a higher solvency rate. Ultimately, this paper discovers that FFs increase their chances of survival when they are small, as the growth in size starts negatively impacting the socioemotional objectives of the firm. This study proves the existence of significant differences between family and non-family firms’ survival during economic crises, suggesting that the prioritization of emotional wealth creates distinct conditions for both types of firms.Keywords: COX regression, economy crises, family firm, non-family firm, survival
Procedia PDF Downloads 7529446 The Social Change Leadership Model for Administrators and Teachers Development in Northeast Thailand
Authors: D. Thawinkarn, S. Wongbutlee
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The Social Change Leadership model is strongly aligned with administration’s mission. This research aims to examine the elements of social change leadership, build and develop leadership for social change, and evaluate effectiveness of leadership development model for social change. The research operation has 3 phases: model studies by in-depth interviews and survey research; drafting and creating model which verified by the experts; and trial of model in schools. The results showed that administrators and teachers have the elements of leadership for social change in moderate level. These elements are ranged descending from consciousness of self, common purpose, congruence, collaboration, commitment, citizenship, and controversy with civility. Model of leadership for social change is included the principles, objectives, content, process. Workshop process: Results show that the model of leadership development for social change in administrators and teachers leads to higher score in leadership evaluation prior to administering the operation.Keywords: leadership, social change model, organization, administrators
Procedia PDF Downloads 42229445 The Role of Formal and Informal Social Support in Predicting the Involvement of Mothers and Fathers of Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Authors: Adi Sharabi, Dafna Marom-Golan
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Parents’ involvement in the care of their children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and its beneficial effect on the children’s developmental and educational outcomes is well documented. At the same time, parents of children with ASD tend to experience greater psychological distress than parents of children with other developmental disabilities or with typical development. Positive social support is an important resource used by parents to reduce their psychological distress. The goal of the current research was to examine the contribution of formal and informal social support in explaining mothers’ and fathers’ involvement with their young children with ASD. The sample consisted of 107 parents who live in Israel (61 mothers and 46 fathers) of children aged between 2 and 7, all diagnosed with ASD and attending special kindergartens or special day care for children with ASD. Parental involvement and social support perception were assessed. Initial analysis focused on the relations between involvement, support, and demographic variables. In addition, analysis of variance (ANOVA) was conducted to test differences between mothers and fathers. Two hierarchical multiple regression analyses were performed to examine the predicted factors in the involvement model while controlling for group (mothers/fathers). Results indicate that mothers reported significantly higher levels of parenting involvement than fathers. Mothers reported higher levels of general involvement and all sub-types of involvement. For example, mothers reported that they were more interested in and have higher levels of attendance in their child’s educational program. They were also more collaborative in their child’s educational therapeutic program, and socialized with other parents of children from their child’s kindergarten than fathers. Mothers’ involvement was found to be related to their informal support (non-formal relatives). Findings also reveal significant differences between mothers and fathers on the formal support subscale measure of specializes services. Fathers, more than mothers, reported more specializes services support such as social workers or professional therapists. Separate hierarchical multiple regression analyses revealed a unique gender difference in the factors that explained parental involvement. Specifically, informal support only had a unique positive contribution in explaining mothers’, but not fathers’ involvement. This study highlights the central role of mothers in maintaining constant contact with the educational system and the professionals who help care for their child with ASD. At the same time, this research emphasizes the crucial role of both mothers and fathers in their child's development and well-being at every development stage, particularly in early development. Further, different kinds of social support seem to relate to the different kinds of parental involvement. It is in the best interest of educators and family therapists who work with families with children with ASD to support the cohesiveness of the family and the collaboration of the parents by understanding and respecting the way each member addresses the responsibilities of parenting a child with ASD, and her or his need for different types of social support.Keywords: parental differences, parental involvement, social support, specialized support services
Procedia PDF Downloads 24929444 Behavior of Cold Formed Steel in Trusses
Authors: Reinhard Hermawan Lasut, Henki Wibowo Ashadi
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The use of materials in Indonesia's construction sector requires engineers and practitioners to develop efficient construction technology, one of the materials used in cold-formed steel. Generally, the use of cold-formed steel is used in the construction of roof trusses found in houses or factories. The failure of the roof truss structure causes errors in the calculation analysis in the form of cross-sectional dimensions or frame configuration. The roof truss structure, vertical distance effect to the span length at the edge of the frame carries the compressive load. If the span is too long, local buckling will occur which causes problems in the frame strength. The model analysis uses various shapes of roof trusses, span lengths and angles with analysis of the structural stiffness matrix method. Model trusses with one-fifth shortened span and one-sixth shortened span also The trusses model is reviewed with increasing angles. It can be concluded that the trusses model by shortening the span in the compression area can reduce deflection and the model by increasing the angle does not get good results because the higher the roof, the heavier the load carried by the roof so that the force is not channeled properly. The shape of the truss must be calculated correctly so the truss is able to withstand the working load so that there is no structural failure.Keywords: cold-formed, trusses, deflection, stiffness matrix method
Procedia PDF Downloads 16929443 Studying Second Language Development from a Complex Dynamic Systems Perspective
Authors: L. Freeborn
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This paper discusses the application of complex dynamic system theory (DST) to the study of individual differences in second language development. This transdisciplinary framework allows researchers to view the trajectory of language development as a dynamic, non-linear process. A DST approach views language as multi-componential, consisting of multiple complex systems and nested layers. These multiple components and systems continuously interact and influence each other at both the macro- and micro-level. Dynamic systems theory aims to explain and describe the development of the language system, rather than make predictions about its trajectory. Such a holistic and ecological approach to second language development allows researchers to include various research methods from neurological, cognitive, and social perspectives. A DST perspective would involve in-depth analyses as well as mixed methods research. To illustrate, a neurobiological approach to second language development could include non-invasive neuroimaging techniques such as electroencephalography (EEG) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate areas of brain activation during language-related tasks. A cognitive framework would further include behavioural research methods to assess the influence of intelligence and personality traits, as well as individual differences in foreign language aptitude, such as phonetic coding ability and working memory capacity. Exploring second language development from a DST approach would also benefit from including perspectives from the field of applied linguistics, regarding the teaching context, second language input, and the role of affective factors such as motivation. In this way, applying mixed research methods from neurobiological, cognitive, and social approaches would enable researchers to have a more holistic view of the dynamic and complex processes of second language development.Keywords: dynamic systems theory, mixed methods, research design, second language development
Procedia PDF Downloads 13929442 Gas-Liquid Flow Regimes in Vertical Venturi Downstream of Horizontal Blind-Tee
Authors: Muhammad Alif Bin Razali, Cheng-Gang Xie, Wai Lam Loh
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A venturi device is commonly used as an integral part of a multiphase flowmeter (MPFM) in real-time oil-gas production monitoring. For an accurate determination of individual phase fraction and flowrate, a gas-liquid flow ideally needs to be well mixed in the venturi measurement section. Partial flow mixing is achieved by installing a venturi vertically downstream of the blind-tee pipework that ‘homogenizes’ the incoming horizontal gas-liquid flow. In order to study in-depth the flow-mixing effect of the blind-tee, gas-liquid flows are captured at blind-tee and venturi sections by using a high-speed video camera and a purpose-built transparent test rig, over a wide range of superficial liquid velocities (0.3 to 2.4m/s) and gas volume fractions (10 to 95%). Electrical capacitance sensors are built to measure the instantaneous holdup (of oil-gas flows) at the venturi inlet and throat. Flow regimes and flow (a)symmetry are investigated based on analyzing the statistical features of capacitance sensors’ holdup time-series data and of the high-speed video time-stacked images. The perceived homogenization effect of the blind-tee on the incoming intermittent horizontal flow regimes is found to be relatively small across the tested flow conditions. A horizontal (blind-tee) to vertical (venturi) flow-pattern transition map is proposed based on gas and liquid mass fluxes (weighted by the Baker parameters).Keywords: blind-tee, flow visualization, gas-liquid two-phase flow, MPFM
Procedia PDF Downloads 13129441 Time-dependent Association between Recreational Cannabinoid Use and Memory Performance in Healthy Adults: A Neuroimaging Study of Human Connectome Project
Authors: Kamyar Moradi
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Background: There is mixed evidence regarding the association between recreational cannabinoid use and memory performance. One of the major reasons for the present controversy is different cannabinoid use-related covariates that influence the cognitive status of an individual. Adjustment of these confounding variables provides accurate insight into the real effects of cannabinoid use on memory status. In this study, we sought to investigate the association between recent recreational cannabinoid use and memory performance while correcting the model for other possible covariates such as demographic characteristics and duration, and amount of cannabinoid use. Methods: Cannabinoid users were assigned to two groups based on the results of THC urine drug screen test (THC+ group: n = 110, THC- group: n = 410). THC urine drug screen test has a high sensitivity and specificity in detecting cannabinoid use in the last 3-4 weeks. The memory domain of NIH Toolbox battery and brain MRI volumetric measures were compared between the groups while adjusting for confounding variables. Results: After Benjamini-Hochberg p-value correction, the performance in all of the measured memory outcomes, including vocabulary comprehension, episodic memory, executive function/cognitive flexibility, processing speed, reading skill, working memory, and fluid cognition, were significantly weaker in THC+ group (p values less than 0.05). Also, volume of gray matter, left supramarginal, right precuneus, right inferior/middle temporal, right hippocampus, left entorhinal, and right pars orbitalis regions were significantly smaller in THC+ group. Conclusions: this study provides evidence regarding the acute effect of recreational cannabis use on memory performance. Further studies are warranted to confirm the results.Keywords: brain MRI, cannabis, memory, recreational use, THC urine test
Procedia PDF Downloads 20029440 Molecular Communication Noise Effect Analysis of Diffusion-Based Channel for Considering Minimum-Shift Keying and Molecular Shift Keying Modulations
Authors: A. Azari, S. S. K. Seyyedi
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One of the unaddressed and open challenges in the nano-networking is the characteristics of noise. The previous analysis, however, has concentrated on end-to-end communication model with no separate modelings for propagation channel and noise. By considering a separate signal propagation and noise model, the design and implementation of an optimum receiver will be much easier. In this paper, we justify consideration of a separate additive Gaussian noise model of a nano-communication system based on the molecular communication channel for which are applicable for MSK and MOSK modulation schemes. The presented noise analysis is based on the Brownian motion process, and advection molecular statistics, where the received random signal has a probability density function whose mean is equal to the mean number of the received molecules. Finally, the justification of received signal magnitude being uncorrelated with additive non-stationary white noise is provided.Keywords: molecular, noise, diffusion, channel
Procedia PDF Downloads 28129439 Internet of Things Professional Construction Building through the School-Enterprise Cooperation
Authors: Jumin Zhao, Na Li, Dengao Li, Yujuan Yan
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As the rapid rise of the networking industry, the shortage of Internet of Things (IoT) talented people greatly stimulates the majority of colleges to speed up the pace of professional networking reform. Caused by the construction of the original specialty, many problems appear such as the vague specialty, the mixed theoretical, the poor practical ability and the different goal. To solve the issues above, we build a ‘theory-practice-theory-improvement’ four-step model of school-enterprise integration of personnel training. Besides, we integrate the advanced teaching philosophy: flip class and Mu class, making IoT teaching more professional and the ability of students more comprehensive.Keywords: IoT, theory-practice-theory-promotion, major construction, school-enterprise cooperation
Procedia PDF Downloads 38329438 Hypertension and Obesity: A Cross-National Comparison of BMI and Waist-Height Ratio
Authors: Adam M. Yates, Julie E. Byles
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Hypertension has been identified as a prominent co-morbidity of obesity. To improve clinical intervention of hypertension, it is critical to identify metrics that most accurately reflect risk for increased morbidity. Two of the most relevant and accurate measures for increased risk of hypertension due to excess adipose tissue are Body Mass Index (BMI) and Waist-Height Ratio (WHtR). Previous research has examined these measures in cross-national and cross-ethnic studies, but has most often relied on secondary means such as meta-analysis to identify and evaluate the efficacy of individual body mass measures. In this study, we instead use cross-sectional analysis to assess the cross-ethnic discriminative power of BMI and WHtR to predict risk of hypertension. Using the WHO SAGE survey, which collected anthropometric and biometric data from respondents in six middle-income countries (China, Ghana, India, Mexico, Russia, South Africa), we implement logistic regression to examine the discriminative power of measured BMI and WHtR with a known population of hypertensive and non-hypertensive respondents. We control for gender and age to identify whether optimum cut-off points that are adequately sensitive as tests for risk of hypertension may be different between groups. We report results for OR, RR, and ROC curves for each of the six SAGE countries. As seen in existing literature, results demonstrate that both WHtR and BMI are significant predictors of hypertension (p < .01). For these six countries, we find that cut-off points for WHtR may be dependent upon gender, age and ethnicity. While an optimum omnibus cut-point for WHtR may be 0.55, results also suggest that the gender and age relationship with WHtR may warrant the development of individual cut-offs to optimize health outcomes. Trends through multiple countries show that the optimum cut-point for WHtR increases with age while the area under the curve (AUROC) decreases for both men and women. Comparison between BMI and WHtR indicate that BMI may remain more robust than WHtR. Implications for public health policy are discussed.Keywords: hypertension, obesity, Waist-Height ratio, SAGE
Procedia PDF Downloads 48129437 Modelling the Effect of Psychological Capital on Climate Change Adaptation among Smallholders from South Africa
Authors: Unity Chipfupa, Aluwani Tagwi, Edilegnaw Wale
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Climate change adaptation studies are challenged by a limited understanding of how non-cognitive factors such as psychological capital affect adaptation decisions of smallholder farmers. The concept of psychological capital has not been fully applied in the empirical literature on climate change adaptation strategies. Hence, the study was meant to assess how psychological capital endowment affects climate change adaptation among smallholder farmers. A multivariate probit regression model was estimated using data collected from 328 smallholder farmers in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The findings indicate that, among other factors, self-confidence and hope or aspirations in farming influence climate change adaptation decisions of smallholders. The psychological capital theory proved to be comprehensive in identifying specific psychological dimensions associated with adaptation decisions. However, the non-alignment of approaches for measuring non-cognitive factors made it difficult to compare results among different studies. In conclusion, the study recommends the need for practical ways for enhancing smallholders’ endowment with key non-cognitive abilities. Researchers should develop and agree on a comprehensive framework for assessing non-cognitive factors critical for climate change adaptation. This will improve the use of positive psychology theories to advance the literature on climate change adaptation. Other key recommendations include targeted support for communities facing higher risks of climate change, improving smallholders’ ability to adapt, promotion of social networks and the inclusion of farming objectives as an important indicator in climate change adaptation research.Keywords: adaptive capacity, climate change adaptation, psychological capital, multivariate probit, non-cognitive factors.
Procedia PDF Downloads 15229436 Horizontal and Vertical Illuminance Correlations in a Case Study for Shaded South Facing Surfaces
Authors: S. Matour, M. Mahdavinejad, R. Fayaz
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Daylight utilization is a key factor in achieving visual and thermal comfort, and energy savings in integrated building design. However, lack of measured data related to this topic has become a major challenge with the increasing need for integrating lighting concepts and simulations in the early stages of design procedures. The current paper deals with the values of daylight illuminance on horizontal and south facing vertical surfaces; the data are estimated using IESNA model and measured values of the horizontal and vertical illuminance, and a regression model with an acceptable linear correlation is obtained. The resultant illuminance frequency curves are useful for estimating daylight availability on south facing surfaces in Tehran. In addition, the relationship between indirect vertical illuminance and the corresponding global horizontal illuminance is analyzed. A simple parametric equation is proposed in order to predict the vertical illumination on a shaded south facing surface. The equation correlates the ratio between the vertical and horizontal illuminance to the solar altitude and is used with another relationship for prediction of the vertical illuminance. Both equations show good agreement, which allows for calculation of indirect vertical illuminance on a south facing surface at any time throughout the year.Keywords: Tehran daylight availability, horizontal illuminance, vertical illuminance, diffuse illuminance
Procedia PDF Downloads 20729435 Hypotensive effect of Cardiospermum halicacabum Linn. in Anesthetized Rats
Authors: Huma Shareef, Ghazala H. Rizwani, Ahsana Dar
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In traditional medicine Cardiospermum halicacabum L. (Sapindeaceae) is used against various ailments. In current investigation searching a new remedy that will available easily, non expensive, able to lower hypertension and standardize blood pressure, made us to develop an herbal medicine. Crude ethanol extract of C. halicacabum and its various fractions ethyl acetate and butanol showed a dose-dependent hypotensive effect in anaesthetized rats. The trachea was exposed and freed from connective tissue and incubated by cannula to facilitate spontaneous respiration. The right carotid artery and left jugular vein were cannulated with polyethylene tubing PE-50 for monitoring blood pressure changes via pressure transducer (Gould P23 ID) connected to a Grass model 79D polygraph and for i.v. injection, respectively. Drugs or the plant extracts were administered at a constant volume of 0.5 ml/kg, followed by injection of 0.2 ml of saline that flushed the cannula. Systolic, diastolic and mean arterial blood pressure (MABP) was measured in mm Hg and heart rate in beats/min. Ethanol extract of C. halicacabum showed a significant activity at 50 mg/kg dose. Ethyl acetate fraction (10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 mg/kg) induced dose dependent fall in systolic and diastolic blood pressure, heart rate of rats. At 10-30 mg/kg the hypotensive effect was non significantly reduced by 10 -15%. However, the extract at 40 mg/kg induced significant hypotensive effect calculated as 30.95±3.2% MABP and this effect persists till 50 mg/kg. The higher polar fraction (butanol) of the whole plant failed to produce any significant response against MABP at all the tested doses (10-50 mg/kg). C. halicacabum lowers blood pressure, exerts a dose-dependent hypotensive effect, can be used as hypotensor.Keywords: cardiospermum halicacabum, calcium channel blocker, hypotensive, various extracts
Procedia PDF Downloads 50829434 Statistical Analysis of Parameters Effects on Maximum Strain and Torsion Angle of FRP Honeycomb Sandwich Panels Subjected to Torsion
Authors: Mehdi Modabberifar, Milad Roodi, Ehsan Souri
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In recent years, honeycomb fiber reinforced plastic (FRP) sandwich panels have been increasingly used in various industries. Low weight, low price, and high mechanical strength are the benefits of these structures. However, their mechanical properties and behavior have not been fully explored. The objective of this study is to conduct a combined numerical-statistical investigation of honeycomb FRP sandwich beams subject to torsion load. In this paper, the effect of geometric parameters of the sandwich panel on the maximum shear strain in both face and core and angle of torsion in a honeycomb FRP sandwich structures in torsion is investigated. The effect of Parameters including core thickness, face skin thickness, cell shape, cell size, and cell thickness on mechanical behavior of the structure were numerically investigated. Main effects of factors were considered in this paper and regression equations were derived. Taguchi method was employed as experimental design and an optimum parameter combination for the maximum structure stiffness has been obtained. The results showed that cell size and face skin thickness have the most significant impacts on torsion angle, maximum shear strain in face and core.Keywords: finite element, honeycomb FRP sandwich panel, torsion, civil engineering
Procedia PDF Downloads 42029433 Optimization the Freeze Drying Conditions of Olive Seeds
Authors: Alev Yüksel Aydar, Tuncay Yılmaz, Melisa Özçeli̇k, Tuba Aydın, Elif Karabaş
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In this study, response surface methodology (RSM) was used to obtain the optimum conditions for the freeze-drying of Gemlik variety olive seeds of to achieve the desired quality characteristics. The Box Behnken Design (BBD) was applied with three-variable and three replications in the center point. The effects of the different drying parameters including initial temperature of olive seed, pressure and time for freezing on the DPPH activity, total phenolic contents, and oleuropein absorbance value of the samples were investigated. Temperature (50 – 82 °C), pressure (0.2-0.5 mbar), time (6-10 hours) were chosen as independent variables. The analysis revealed that, while the temperature of the product prior to lyophilization and the drying time had no statistically significant effect on DPPH activity (p>0.05), the pressure was more important than the other two variables , and the quadratic effect of pressure had a significant effect on DPPH activity (p<0.05). The R2 and Adj-R2 values of the DPPH activity model were calculated to be 0.8962 and 0.7045, respectively.Keywords: olive seed, gemlik variety, DPPH, phenolics, optimization
Procedia PDF Downloads 8929432 SiC Merged PiN and Schottky (MPS) Power Diodes Electrothermal Modeling in SPICE
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This paper sets out a behavioral macro-model of a Merged PiN and Schottky (MPS) diode based on silicon carbide (SiC). This model holds good for both static and dynamic electrothermal simulations for industrial applications. Its parameters have been worked out from datasheets curves by drawing on the optimization method: Simulated Annealing (SA) for the SiC MPS diodes made available in the industry. The model also adopts the Analog Behavioral Model (ABM) of PSPICE in which it has been implemented. The thermal behavior of the devices was also taken into consideration by making use of Foster’ canonical network as figured out from electro-thermal measurement provided by the manufacturer of the device.Keywords: SiC MPS diode, electro-thermal, SPICE model, behavioral macro-model
Procedia PDF Downloads 408